Rebirth
by SilverEyesWolf
Summary: Kurosaki Ichigo dies two years after the end of the Winter War. He wakes up in Rukongai with no memory of who he was while alive and two voices in his head.
1. Chapter 1

_Hey. Silver here. _

_I got this idea for a story and I'm not really sure whether I'm going to continue with it. I just thought I'd post the first chapter and see what responses it gets. _

_Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach obviously. _

It is commonly thought that heroes should die in a set number of ways. In the heat of battle, surrounded by comrades having just defeated their greatest enemy or of old age after making a good life for themselves surrounded by family.

Despite the loss of his powers, Kurosaki Ichigo is commonly thought of as a hero. But the masses are not always correct. This hero didn't die of old age or in the heat of battle.

Kurosaki Ichigo lost his life in a traffic accident two years after the Winter War.

000

The first thing the orange haired boy noticed as he opened his eyes was leaves. All he could see was leaves. It took his mind to focus on the fact he was lying on his back looking up at trees. He was so relaxed, more so than he had been in a long time; or at least he thought. It was hard to tell, he couldn't really remember anything.

Sure the names of things were there. He knew that trees were trees and that the grass was green. But he didn't know how he knew that. The knowledge was there but not the memories of where it came from.

_Get up. You look weak lying there._

Lazily he glanced around looking for the source of the voice. It was harsh and close. There was no one in sight but never the less he obeyed. He was in a grass clearing in what looked to be a forest but it couldn't be too dense because he could hear the sounds of a village nearby.

_Don't just stand there. Get moving._

"Who are you? Show yourself."

There was no movement around him only this echoing chuckling that put him slightly on edge.

_Who I am? Do you need to ask?_

_He does not remember._

The new voice was different. Deeper and wiser sounding than the other one. Again it had no source and he was beginning to suspect that they were in his head. Never the less he found his feet heading in the direction of the village.

Hours later after wondering around listening to the comments from the voices, either criticising the weaknesses of others or giving hints on what to observe, he stopped at a bar hoping to find food.

The stall keepers had only laughed at him when he said that he was hungry. The inn it turned out was little better as he found himself thrown out rather forcibly. His stomach growled and then cramped as he lay on the ground outside.

One voice was calling them all fools while the other suggested finding somewhere to sleep. Neither of them noticed the group of children watching him from afar as he found tree at the edge of the village to sleep under.

000

The following morning he was awoken to the sounds of shouting. He could hear the cries of children. Something fierce gripped him. A will to protect.

His body moved with a will of its own. There was a group of adults surrounding a huddled cluster of children, attacking them, throwing things and hurling abuse.

A need to protect and a lust for the blood of those causing harm welled up from the voices and his mind was invaded with flashes of battles he wasn't sure he fought. Of a white mask with red stripes and a black katana covered in blood.

When his mind snapped into place he was stood amongst a sea of downed adults, the cautious eyes of children staring up at him. As he held out his hand and lead them away they seemed to fill with curiosity.

One girl, slightly older than the rest and covered in more bruises looked up at him with determined eyes.

"What is your name?"

The question confused him for a minute. He'd had no use for a name since he'd woken up that morning. He didn't know what it should be, or even if that was unusual. 'What are your names?'

It was the wiser voice that answered. He was rather glad it wasn't the harsher one as he was sure it wouldn't have been helpful whatever the reply.

_You already know that. Just like your own name. You just need to look inside you._

He wasn't sure exactly where it came from but he found his lips forming words.

"Zangetsu Ogihci"

_There we go. Review just to let me know if I should continue with this and your general views. _

_Thanks. _

_Silver. _


	2. Chapter 2

_Yo, here's the second chapter. Thanks for everyone's lovely reviews. _

Years passed but he didn't bother keeping track of time. Every day was the same. The children would go out to steal what they needed to make a living, he would act as their protector and they'd give him enough food for him to live on. As an arrangement it worked quite well.

However he never really got close to the children, children still as like him they never seemed to really age. He was a little too different from them. A little too strange. They never did quite get used to his habit of talking to himself, even if it wasn't really himself but the voices in his head. Although whether they could really be classed as a separate entity he wasn't entirely sure.

As he stood watching over the children from the street corner he reflected that the only thing that had really changed since those first few days as he settled into his new role was his hair colour. Orange was a little too attention grabbing and while they weren't one of the worst districts it was far from safe to stand out too much.

The girl who had first spoken to him, Emi, strode up to some people in black robes. She wasn't one to sneak about, said it made people suspicious, so she'd confidently walk up to people and steal their belongings without them noticing most of the time. He tensed as one of the men grabbed her arm. This was not one of those times. And it was his task to remedy the situation.

A feeling of danger almost blinded him as images of other people, stronger people, wearing the same black robes flashed through his mind. It was overcome by his will to protect as he saw Emi thrown to the floor. He approached them with a snarl.

The three men laughed, trying to taunt him. The first wasn't grinning for long as his foot collided with the man's jaw sending him crashing to the floor. The second he floored with an equally strong punch to the stomach and axe kick to the shoulder.

There was a clink and then swoosh of metal as a sword was swung narrowly missing his side. As he turned to face the armed man he could see the fear in his eyes. This man was a coward, unworthy of the sword.

_Kill him and take the sword._

He found his hands grabbing hold of the blade as it was thrust towards his torso. He wrenched it forwards, knocking the man of balance and bringing a fist into contact with his solar plexus to knock him out.

It felt so light in his hands. It should have been heavier, larger. Something deep within him reacted to the feel of a blade in his hands and pushed into it. The sword seemed to ripple and distort and sound of shattering metal filled the air as the sword splintered into millions of hits. He could hear the harsher voice swear in the back of his mind.

Still there was nothing to do but pick Emi up and run. They had already attracted too much attention.

ooo

When he woke from his spot in the tree branches just outside the hut the children slept in he could feel eyes watching him. He'd been having the dream of sideways buildings again. The voices were always clearer after it and he was so sure he was getting closer to finding out who they were.

"What do you want?" He growled out in annoyance.

The woman looked surprised by his attitude as he dropped out of the tree in a singular movement, not at all like he'd just woken up. She was wearing a black robe like the men from the day before and the feeling of danger and dislike came over him again.

"Are you the boy that broke the zanpakuto yesterday and injured three men?"

He was sure he'd never heard the word zanpakuto before but it reverberated through his mind. He knew it was the sword he' been holding the day before. The woman had her own one strapped to her waist.

Shrieks from the harsher voice flooded his brain. It wanted him to take the sword. Claim it as his. He could feel his fingers twitch with the urge to take hold of it. The only thing stopping him was the calmer voice telling him to be patient. They would get theirs in good time.

The woman seemed to take his reaction as confirmation. "I am here on behalf of the Gotei Thirteen to advise you that with your high reiatsu levels you are recommended to register with the Shino Academy for your own safety."

He knew he shouldn't have understood most of what she said and yet he did. It wasn't even that much of a surprise to him. The part of him that hated the fact he knew these things and couldn't remember why rebelled against it all. While most of him knew it was the sensible thing to do he found his lips saying, "No."

The woman turned serious eyes to stare at him. "With your significant reiatsu not only would you be wasting your talent but you are putting yourself and those around you in danger."

He scoffed at her. "I will not be joining your Academy. I can look after myself."

The woman just raised a sceptical eyebrow. "These parts of Rukongai are not so well patrolled. It is only a matter of time before a hollow gets through hungering after your reiatsu. There is the entrance test to the Academy in five days time. I hope you can make it. If you're still alive that is."

He almost laughed as the woman stalked off into the distance. He was more than capable of caring for himself and some stranger was never going to convince him otherwise.

ooo

Three days passed in relative peace and he forgot about the woman's warning. The weather was nice and the children had made an extra large haul so he was able to eat well, filling his belly in a way he wasn't quite accustomed too. Sure he got enough food to survive on but as the only one that ate it wasn't such a big essential so he was rarely full.

The children were playing in the river nearby when he felt the wind turn bad. He couldn't really describe it. The very air he was breathing seemed to get thicker and take on a foul feel to it. He thought back to the woman's words. Was this the hollow she mentioned? Deep inside himself he knew this feeling and knew it was.

A sudden thought for the children flashed though his mind. It was him that had attracted whatever was coming and it was him it was after and yet they might get hurt. He was running before he'd really thought it through. Running as far away from people as he could get, deeper and deeper into the surrounding woodland.

He knew he could move faster. The method swam just below his consciousness as dark cackling seemed to surround him from all sides. It sounded like his harsher voice when it took one of its darker turns.

Trees parted and he flung himself into a grassy clearing only to be hit from behind and thrust into a tree. The contact stunned him and it took a few seconds for him to turn around and look what had assaulted him.

It was long and ugly with many legs and a bone white mask upon its head. He was reminded of a centipede but it was a twisted and morphed grotesque imitation of such a creature.

It started walking towards him and he found himself backed into a tree. There was nowhere to go. He couldn't out run it and the pressure was pressing him down. It felt like he was moving through treacle instead of air, rancid treacle.

The thing launched itself at him. He felt its weight hitting him as it pinned him to the ground with its body. The slime oozing over him was the least of his worries as he looked up at the head looming over him. At the wide jaw that was opening and the blood stained teeth descending with alarming speed.

_You always were attracting trouble._

As the calmer spirit spoke the world around him seemed to freeze. The head of the _thing_ was still above him but it had stopped.

And then everything went black.

ooo

When he opened his eyes it was to a slightly cloudy sky. It took him a few seconds to recognise his surroundings. He was sat on one of the sideways buildings. While his brain told him he should be holding on so he didn't fall his instincts told him he'd be safe. He ended up going with his dreams; after all he'd never fallen in them.

_You are finally awake._

He spun round to confront the calmer voice he'd been hearing since he first awoke in what he know knew as the land of the dead. He had to admit the sight that greeted his eyes wasn't exactly what he'd been expecting.

He was tall and rugged looking with shaggy dark hair and dark glasses all done up in his long town robe. He'd been expecting some monk like person. He was however extremely impressed with the other's balance. The man was standing on the edge of a flag pole and not even wobbling.

"What am I doing here?"

There seemed little point in asking who the voice was. Deep down he already knew and like so much else the knowledge would float to the front of his brain when he actually needed to know it.

_You are here to find your zanpakuto. Find it and you will live. Fail and we will all die in here._

Panic flared through him. "Where is it? Show me."

_I cannot. You must find it._

He didn't stop to think. He started searching the buildings. Pulling open whatever door and window would come loose. Most of them were locked firmly but those he could prise open were filled only with darkness and flashes of images from his last ten years.

Frustration brimmed over. There was nowhere in this place for something to be hidden but in the building and yet they were empty of anything that could be of any real help.

_Relax. It is a part of you; all you need to do is concentrate._

He forced oncoming panic down and took a few breaths. The voice had always guided him in the right direction so it couldn't be wrong now. The world seemed to fade as he closed his eyes but there was something to his right. Something tugging at his senses.

He lost his concentration twice when he nearly fell of the buildings having reached the end of one but eventually he got right in front of the presence. As he opened his eyes and saw the voice realisation hit him.

The voice was his zanpakuto.

Rumours of shinigami being able to communicate with their weapons had filtered through Rukongai but he'd never quite believed them, although something told him he should. Now it was proving to be true.

"It's you. You are my zanpakuto. You, Zange-"

The spirits sharp movement shut him up quickly.

_Do not use my name yet. When the time is right and you are stronger you can call out my name. Now is not yet that time. Now draw me and FIGHT!"_

The spirit seemed to glow and the hilt of a sword appeared from its chest. His hands grasped it and pulled.

ooo

The world restarted with the hollow pinning him down but now things were different. He could feel the hilt of his zanpakuto in his hand and energy rushing through his body just looking for an outlet. And so he gave it one.

With an almighty push, he shoved the creature off of him. It seemed confused at the sudden change in its prey but soon charged at him. Instinct took over and he brought the blade up, slashing across the mask.

The creature started to disappear and blackness edged into his vision. Perhaps he'd used too much of his new found power at once. The last thing he saw as his body gave out to exhaustion was a long katana grasped in his right hand.

ooo

Two days later, he was stood in front of the Shino Academy, zanpakuto sheathed across his back staring up at the place that would change his life as he knew it.

_There you go. I'm just going to see where this takes me. Not sure when this'll get updated next, it'll depend on my work load._


	3. Chapter 3

_Been a while since I've updated and if I'm honest I should be revising rather than writing but this bugger me until I got it down on paper...or computer, which is more accurate. Thanks for all the lovely reviews. _

_Enjoy._

The entrance hall was packed with people coming from all over to complete the entrance exam. The nobles were easy to point out, staying separated, not wanting to mingle with the commoners, but even then there were so many people. So many people and yet he stood out like a sore thumb.

He knew it was the fact he already had a zanpakuto. From the moment he entered the building people had been staring, whispers following him as he walked up to the desk to sign up his name for the tests. After so much time when his life depended on not standing out it was rather alarming. He could feel his hand twitching to touch his sword where it laid across his back.

Irritation swelled to the point where he nearly stormed out of the room. It wasn't happening quickly enough and he couldn't stand to be around so many people, with them all looking at him. It was pure luck that they started to run the exams, splitting them all into thirteen groups. So he got into his line to wait until they were called into the room one by one, it would be a long wait.

After what seemed like hours his name was called and he was ushered into a wooden room. It reminded him of a dojo, probably its main use when the exams weren't on. In the middle of the room were a young man and two glass balls.

"You are Zangetsu Ogihci?"

He nodded his confirmation and the man smiled at him.

"I am the eleventh seat of the Fourth Division. I will be supervising your test today." He nodded again and drew closer to the man.

"You may have not seen these before you can use these spheres to help meld your reiatsu. You need to push it into the sphere and form a shield around yourself. I will give you a demonstration."

The man took one of the balls into his hands and after a moment or two a transparent blue ball appeared around the man. He knew now that if he touched it, it would be solid.

_This is easy. You've done it before, do it again._

He sure didn't remember doing it before like the harsher voice said. His zanpakuto's voice however cut in.

_Calm yourself. This is not an obstacle which will stand in our way._

The man seemed to have taken his frown for nerves because he was babbling on about being able to take the test the following time if he failed but reassurances that he was sure to pass, afterall he already manifested his zanpakuto.

The orb felt familiar in his hands. Like he'd held one before somewhere deeply buried in his lost memories. He tried pushing his reiatsu in but nothing happened, or at least nothing constructive. It felt all wrong, like there was a different better way.

Thoughts of a space of blackness, a void, and falling in it flitted through his mind and got stuck. He could feel his mental self sinking into this circular well of nothingness. Sinking and sinking. While he remained completely calm within his mind he wasn't witness to the chaos he was causing.

His reiatsu was flooding out of his body where it was usually so tightly stored. The walls started to shake, the man fell to his knees unable to stand and many of those waiting outside fainted from the pressure. Then something in his mind clicked and there stood in the middle of the chaos, he was surrounded by a glowing blue shield.

It was safe to say that he passed the entrance exam with flying colours going straight into the top class. The fact he'd already manifested his zanpakuto would have guaranteed him that anyway but after the power he displayed at the entrance exam he became a legend in the academy.

OOO

"You remind me of one of my students from when I was alive."

It was the first day of his academy classes and he quickly discovered that the power he displayed ostracised him from his peers. So he was rather surprised by the shoulder length brown haired woman that sat next to him.

"Your student?"

He had to admit he was rather curious. She was after all the first person to talk to him.

"I was a High School teacher when I was alive. He was always getting into fights, never turning up to school but he was a good boy."

She seemed rather fond of this boy.

"What happened to him?"

"He went a little off the rails, always looking so sad for a few years. They said he died pushing a young girl out of the path of a van. Saved her life but it ended his. What's your name?"

He looked at her. She thought that the boy could be him.

"Zangestsu Ogihci."

She grinned at him. "Not the same name. Shame, you looks so much like him although with the wrong coloured hair. Should have really known better, Kurosaki Ichigo was well known for a refusal to dye is orange hair. Anyway, I'm Ochi Misato. Nice to meet you."

He nodded at the woman letting a small smile show through. There was something about that name, Kurosaki Ichigo that clicked in his mind. He had orange hair under the dye and looked like this person. That couldn't be his real name, could it? Surely this person he'd only just met know more about him than he did?

As the teacher walked in he was forced to put the rather unsettling thoughts behind. He was sure in time he would remember, after all everyone else seemed to have memories of their time when they were alive. He pushed it to the back of his mind as the teacher started the class.

OOO

Classes were not exactly like he'd expected. The sheer amount of theory startled him, for a military organisation they seemed rather insistent on learning. While most of the actual content seemed new to him there was an echo of remembrance behind so much of it. After the first time the Winter War was mentioned he'd had nightmares of fighting for his life for weeks.

Despite everything the one class there was no errie feeling in was the one he was almost failing, kido. His lack of control was something that had Ochi-san, or Ochi-sensei as he jokingly called her, in hysterics at his poor attempts. Although he had to admit that he was rather glad as it gave him an opportunity to see her.

The first kido practical class they'd had they were meant to be learning the simplest spell, the first binding spell. They'd were paired up and put in front of straw targets to practice on. When it came to his turn it became rather apparent that having such alarmingly high reiatsu levels was a disadvantage when one had so little control over them.

The teacher made a point of telling everyone that in her 120 years of teaching she had never had a student manage to make a simple binding spell go so wrong that it created a six foot deep crater. It took hours for the embarrassment to start to fade.

While he remained at first year level in kido the remembrance came in useful in all his other classes and he was learning at such an accelerated rate they were bumping him up years and giving him special lessons. Rumours of him being a prodigy spread like wild fire.

They were saying that as soon as he improved his kido he would be graduating in record time.

Despite what others said he didn't think his achievements were so great. He could wield his zanpakuto skilfully because they had a strong connection but he'd done a lot of fighting. This just made zanjutsu easy and similar for hakuda. As for hoho, he'd always been fast, that wasn't something that was going to change any time soon.

But there was always a feeling that however far he pushed he could do better, that he had done better, been stronger. Sometimes his inability to do kido seemed like a blessing. It reminded him that he was still learning and quelled the frustration when he was _so_ sure that he could do better than all the teachers put together. The taunting voice in his head confirming his thoughts really didn't help.

He'd been there a six month when they sent a seated shinigami to help him with his kido.

There was a smaller practice area put aside for such situations so he was to meet them there. It wasn't until a petite raven hair girl froze in the doorway, shocked by his looks that he realised just how hellish the sessions would be.

Just the sight of her forced half images of blood, of fighting into his mind. The way she launched her way across the room shouting 'Ichigo', grabbing hold of him in a death embrace terrified him. The way she was so familiar with him pushed more flashes of images and feelings through his mind. And it hurt.

It took all of his strength to push the woman off of him. The look of shock on her face as she tumbled to the ground at his feet was to be expected.

"I am not Kurosaki Ichigo." He was sure that it probably came out as a growl. The malicious voice was egging him on and telling him to frighten her more. It took him a moment to reign in the reiatsu he realised he'd been leaking and turn towards the practice target. "Shall we begin the tutoring?"

It was safe to say that the training sessions did not improve from there.

While he rapidly improved in both control and kido ability he did so purely to get away from the girls bi-weekly presence. He quickly found the girls attachment, bringing up things he hadn't done (or at least couldn't remember) and insistence of calling him _that_ name aggravating. Whenever he brought it up there was nothing but insistence that he'd remember given time.

With the rate he was going though the academy it was hardly a surprise to him that in just over a year he was put forward for the graduation exam.

_Next update will be after my exams so sometime in June probably. _


	4. Chapter 4

_Finished my exams so I'm back! This chapter has some more explanation to it, taken a while in happening but I'm rather happy with how it turned out._

The exam for students who were graduating early was different from that that the average academy student sat. Those put forward for it were the best the academy had to offer, those that excelled past the usual curriculum and the exam represented that.

While there were still a few written exams there was much more emphasis put on a single practical excursion in which the students' abilities were put to the test in the kind of situation they would encounter when they were serving in a division. Even more so with the high rate of early graduates going straight into a seated position within their division.

He silently observed the group he would be taking the exam with. He recognised most of them but wouldn't have been able to name them. They were all people he'd viewed briefly during his studies with the higher years or in passing as he attended his private sessions. He did however know the rumours that had circulated about their abilities.

Including himself they made up a group of five, lead by the vice captain of the eighth division Ise-fukutaicho. Of that group he was starkly aware that he was the only one amongst them that was yet to reach shikai. The only reason he was amongst them was that the teachers thought he was close or that he was just hiding it. They seemed to presume that power like his could not come from one that had not even achieved their first release. They were wrong.

He had internally asked about it and was accepting of his zanpakuto's decision that he wasn't yet ready. He was a part of his soul, one that knew him better than even himself so he felt there was no need to question the spirit's words.

They were heading off into the outskirts of Soul Society to hunt down a particularly troublesome hollow that had been attaching the edges of poorer Rukongai. Not strong enough to sent a high levelled shinigami but enough to be a suitable challenge for five students.

They were travelling through the woods for what seemed like hours before he sensed something. Just on the edge of his senses was the foul feeling his training and instincts identified as a hollow. He doubted the other students felt it yet, it had always been noted that he was best at tracking them almost like he had some type of affinity to it.

From the glance Ise-san gave him he could tell she'd felt it too and knew he had. He almost smiled, it was nice to have the approval of someone with so much authority over you.

The feeling got stronger and stronger until the others felt it. As they stopped in front of the mouth of a large cavern hidden away in the woods surrounding them he could see the tension in their bodies. They grasped their zanpakutos in sweaty hands as Ise-san went to flush the hollow out into the open.

All he felt was a sense of calm. It was like this was something he knew he could easily do. Like it was routine rather than a challenge. The feeling reassured him. _Is it time yet?_ He felt himself thinking. The feeling of a smile in return made him grin.

The air became thick with the foul feeling as a bright leering mask emerged from the mouth of the cave. One of his companions launched themselves forward, shouting out the words that must have been their shikai release. The power in the air increased but the hollow batted them away like a toy.

It seemed to growl as two more of them launched themselves at it. The fourth was frozen to the spot, terror in his eyes as he stared forwards at his companions fighting for their lives. That one would be of no use in a real fight. He felt a strange type of pity for the boy.

As the three fighting the hollow were thrown to the floor he stepped forwards looking the creature in the eyes.

_Abandon your fear. Look forward. Move forward and never stop. You'll age if you pull back. You'll die if you hesitate._

The words echoed through his being as he swung his zanpakuto forwards towards the hollows mask, the name Zangetsu tumbling off of his lips.

The resulting wave of power knocked back everything within twenty meters of him. He felt his blade barely stop as it sliced through the mask and dug into the ground. His body shuddered with the thrill of the sheer vastness of his power. It took a few minutes for the dust he'd kicked up to settle down and he laid eyes on his transformed zanpakuto.

No not zanpakuto, partner, his Zangetsu.

He could feel the silent approval and cackling glee of the voices in his head as he ran a finger down the sharp onyx blade of his sword. It was thicker than he was used to and rather unconventional in its butcher knife style but it felt like a part of him in his hand and he couldn't stop the smile as it crept across his face.

The shock on his fellow students faces, even that of Ise-san, made him pause for a second. And that was all it took for the exhaustion of releasing so much reiatsu at once to hit him straight in the chest.

A hand firmly gripping the handle of Zangetsu he released his consciousness into the sea of black which was trying to pull him down.

ooo

Light slowly filtered through his eyelids pulling him back into the world of the dead. Awareness swept over him in a wave of soft warm surroundings and a soft voice talking to him. It took him a few minutes to recognise the tones of Ochi-san and to build the strength to prise his eyes open.

When she saw that he was awake she smiled down at him.

"Are you feeling okay? You collapsed from using too much power at once. You should be more careful."

She helped him sit up and passed him a glace of water from the table the other side of the room, all the time shooting curious glances his way.

"What is it? What have they said?"

She paused and turned towards him fully.

"They're saying that you are Kurosaki Ichigo and that having the same zanpakuto as him proves it. But you don't like that name do you? You don't remember being him."

A sick feeling crept up his throat. It was going to get worse. Being near his tutor Rukia-san was bad enough with her familiararity and insistence that he had done all these things but there would be others as well.

They would expect him to act as Ichigo had. To know the same things. To be as strong and as determined. He couldn't do it. He didn't remember any of it properly and it was all so suffocating, like they were trying to make him live the life of someone that he wasn't.

She must have seen the panic on his face at the revelation as she placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "It doesn't matter that you were once Kurosaki Ichigo, you are a different person now with different experiences. Whenever they push you too hard remember that you are Zangetsu Ogihci. You are a different person."

He felt some confidence creep back with her words and yet he could not still bring himself to be convinced. Things would change from there on and he wasn't sure he wanted to follow in the shadow of his own footsteps.

ooo

Unfortunately, he was right. It took only a day for the rumours to filter through and for the visitors to start.

They were mostly people wanting to congratulate him for winning the Winter War, hero worshippers who were easily sent away, more often than not leaving gifts behind. The rest had been sent away, shocked by his coldness and the hate in his eyes.

The only ones that with stood it were Rukia-san and a red head that came with her, both expressing overly intimate knowledge of him. Expecting him to welcome people that were no more than strangers to him like friends. The red head brought a gift.

All it took was a simple little kido spell to express his displeasure at the gift, a little property damage and a rapid transferral to the fourth division medical centre to explicitly show how unwelcome their and all other presences were and that he might need to work on his control just a little bit.

ooo

In his few days in the fourth division medical centre he'd found Unohana-taichou to be rather accepting of his circumstance. Initially when he had found out that she was the captain he had turned her away saying that he needed no more special treatment for being someone he wasn't than anyone else. He was rather glad that she was rather stubborn and claimed that with his high reiatsu levels that she was the only one capable of safely treating him.

She calmly brought him tea and told him things while warding off unwanted visitors with a sweetly menacing smile.

It seemed that his situation was rather unique and that while there had been other living shinigami that they had maintained most of their memories through death but it was probably the loss of his powers that had caused the almost absolute blank on his memories.

The very fact he even had his powers at that moment, much smaller than they had been but increasing, was a mystery to almost everyone. It had also stopped him from being recognised beforehand.

While the name Kurosaki Ichigo was rather famous the most that most people knew of him was a rough description and it had been declared that all information on him be dampened to avoid him being harassed when he died and supposedly reappeared powerless. When he had appeared at the academy no one around knew the name of his zanpakuto so he had gone relatively unnoticed.

The exception of Rukia was put down to most as a woman who had lost two men closer to her with similar appearances seeing traces of them in a new student and latching on to that. The inclusion of her childhood friend in it was just an attempt to humour her and stop her causing shame for her noble family.

As she entered the room to discharge him and escort him to the graduation ceremony he was getting rather nervous. While most students were assigned a division all of them were vying for his attention and it was to be left to him to decide.

ooo

The speeches ended and he was stood in a room full of captains, each wanting him in their division. While there was a strong part of him that wanted to heal and join the fourth division he knew that his control was lacking and he would cause more harm than good for the moment. A nod from Unohana-taichou showed that she understood.

From the hungry looks in the eyes of the second, eleventh and twelfth he knew to instantly rule those ones out as well. He crossed the first off for being too strict, along with the captainless third, fifth and ninth as he didn't want to be pushed into a captains role involuntarily. The sixth had the red head and the thirteenth Rukia-san so they equally were crossed off.

That left him with the seventh, eighth and tenth. As he looked at them there was an overwhelming longing for someone that understood what it was like to be considered different than everyone else. To find that things came easier to you and be alienated. While this was also true for the seventh division captain he found his feet heading towards the tenth.

The room was filled with silence as Hitsugaya-taichou welcomed him to the tenth division with a raised eye brow and cheering vice captain. The silent approval of the Unohana-taichou cheered him forwards, after all by the displayed shock it was not what anyone had expected.

_Not sure how expected that is but I can really see a kinship between Hitsugaya and Ichigo. Especially as this reborn Ichigo has a calmer personality and is worldlier after his time in Rukongai. _


End file.
